The last lashes of the strong wind: about thirty injured, fallen trees, torn roofs

BarcelonaThe westerly wind storm that affected much of the country today has left gusts of between 60 and 90 km/h in many places, and over 120 or 130 km/h in some high-altitude areas, with numerous incidents [you will find the most significant wind gusts and images of the storm at the end of this report]. The gale weakened during the night, and the episode is now considered over. However, the westerly wind will still be felt in several regions on Friday, but much weaker. This situation is the result of the passage of a front associated with the powerful British storm. Benjamin, and which will now open its doors to a significant cooldown. Many lows will be recorded late today, and between Friday and the weekend, the temperature drop will be significant, with a suddenly autumnal feel after days of summer. Rainfall will arrive between Saturday and Sunday.

Emergency services have treated nearly thirty people due to the storm. Of these, eleven were taken to medical centers with injuries of varying severity.

The Civil Protection hotline 112 has responded to more than 1,200 calls, and the Fire Department has responded to nearly 1,000. Most of the incidents have involved removing fallen trees or street furniture or repairing facades. In Anglesola (Urgell), the wind has caused serious damage to the municipal pavilion, which has lost part of its roof. In Tàrrega, the Vedruna school also had to be evacuated because the roof tiles of the pavilion next door began to lift due to the wind. There were no injuries in either case. By region, the majority of alerts have been in Vallès Occidental, Barcelonès, and Baix Llobregat. The municipalities with the most calls have been Barcelona, ​​​​Sabadell, and Sant Cugat.

The strong gusts have also caused incidents on the commuter rail network. Specifically, on the R1, traffic had to be cut between L'Hospitalet and Badalona until workers removed the large object that had fallen onto the track, pushed by the wind. Traffic has now been restored. Regarding roads, the main impact has been in Santa Margarita de Montbui and in Omells de na Gaia, in Urgell.

Friday: light soda

The westerly wind will clearly decrease, although it will remain much more moderate in the central, southern, and western regions, especially in the middle of the day. It will eventually disappear completely by the afternoon and early evening. Temperatures will take center stage, as the cooling will be very noticeable across the country. Early in the morning, the weather will be markedly cooler than in recent days, and more layers will be needed. By midday, temperatures will be considerably more moderate, nothing like the Indian summer of recent days. Many highs will hover between 18 and 23°C, locally higher in the south.

All of this will be very calm, as the sun will generally dominate. There will only be some cloudy periods in the Girona region, as well as in the early hours over the Ebro. There will also be some harmless patches of high, thin clouds. It will be a rain-free day, with only some local showers in the inland regions of Valencia.

Autumn weekend, with cool, rainy skies.

The weather is going to be complicated this weekend. An area of ​​instability will affect us, leading to a significant increase in cloud cover and precipitation. Saturday will be a rather gray day with a risk of rain, especially in the regions of Barcelona, ​​​​Tarragona, and Lleida, and less likely in Girona. It will also rain in Castellón, but with more sunshine in the rest of the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands.

Looking ahead to Sunday, it could rain anywhere in the early hours and morning. As the hours pass, the precipitation will become concentrated on the coast and pre-coast, where it will eventually move in the afternoon. A few intense storms cannot be ruled out. The situation is still very uncertain and open to changes, which we will have to specify.

What we will notice this weekend is that maximum temperatures will drop even further. Most temperatures will remain below 20°C, with a cool, autumnal atmosphere, more like the middle of November than the end of October. The change to winter time will bring cold air, and pay attention to the snow level, as it will gradually drop and will fall below 2,000 m on Sunday afternoon.

Storm wind forecast

The strong westerly wind that blew throughout much of the country on Thursday brought numerous gusts of between 60 and 90 km/h, especially along the Barcelona coast and pre-coast, in central Catalonia, in the west, and in elevated areas. In fact, the strongest gusts were recorded at high altitudes, with 129 km/h on Mount Sesolles (at an altitude of 1,668 m, in Montseny) and 132 km/h in Portbou. The north wind dominated in Alt Empordà. However, most of the Girona regions were less affected by this episode, with less significant winds. Below are the most significant gusts and some images of the storm.

• 132 km/h: Portbou - Belitres Pass
• 129 km/h: Mount Sesolles (1,668 m)
• 96 km/h: Alguaire
• 93 km/h: El Montmell
• 90 km/h: Ódena
• 90 km/h: Boí
• 89 km/h: La Tosa de Alp
• 88 km/h: Massoteras
• 87 km/h: L'Espluga de Francolí
• 87 km/h: Benissanet
• 87 km/h: the Panadella
• 86 km/h: Ulldeter
• 85 km/h: Terrace
• 85 km/h: Montsec d'Ares (1,572 m)
• 83 km/h: Els Hostalets de Pierola
• 82 km/h: Barcelona (Sants)